The SitePoint Forums have moved.

You can now find them here.
This forum is now closed to new posts, but you can browse existing content.
You can find out more information about the move and how to open a new account (if necessary) here.
If you get stuck you can get support by emailing forums@sitepoint.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Database Driven Sites... Please Help

Greetings Everyone,

Just wondering how I can learn howto make database driven sites like this one:Amazing-Bargains

See the thing with this site is that its all one big database and apparently you don't even have to edit it with Dreamweaver or anything you just open a small file on your computer... or on the web server and type in what you want to add or remove.

Is this possible? And where can I learn howto do this? Aswell as what do I need and what language will I be programming in?

The site I want to do will have products basically like Amazing Bargains...

"You cannot buy Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL from a traditional bookstore. The only place you can purchase this book is right here through us at SitePoint.com or alternatively at Amazon.com"

Just to be clear, only people with Team Sitepoint badges, Nicky D, and mmj are actually employees of Sitepoint. I am a forum member who has liked the book.

First off, be sure to download the free chapters of the Sitepoint book. Why not, it's free and you might learn something just from that.

An alternate book that comes to mind is O'Reilly's Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL. I have heard people refer to it positively, but I have not looked at it personally nor have I ever seen a fanatic revue of it. Still, most O'Reilly books are pretty good.

Using your unpaid time to add free content to SitePoint Pty Ltd's portfolio?

PHP (scripting language) and MySQL (database) is one of the "big two" combinations as far as database-driven sites, excluding Perl/CGI. The other major one is ASP (a Microsoft scripting language) and MS Access (database, if you have MS Office you may have it). Either combination will give you a platform--but you have to know how to program first, and have at least a bit of familiarity with databases. (You probably have those two items already--just thought I'd give that reminder )

"When the ship misses the harbor, it is seldom the fault of the ship, and it is never the fault of the harbor..."
//think of that when you get an error

PHP (scripting language) and MySQL (database) is one of the "big two" combinations as far as database-driven sites, excluding Perl/CGI. The other major one is ASP (a Microsoft scripting language) and MS Access (database, if you have MS Office you may have it). Either combination will give you a platform--but you have to know how to program first, and have at least a bit of familiarity with databases. (You probably have those two items already--just thought I'd give that reminder )

Well I have decided I do want to go with PHP And MYSQL, so I am currently looking at them.

Does anyone know if I can run MYSQL Server on my computer and just program that way? I don't have a host at the moment that supports PHP Nor MYSQL.
So basically can I program with MYSQL And PHP Without a host?

I wanted to buy: HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS and Building a datbase driven site with PHP And MySQL.

Now is that worth it?
Because what I am going to do in this site is:
Make a tip of the day, product of the day, and have a banner of the day, and have this switch ontime everyday. I am also going to have the content column which I want to switch every week or so... now if I DO Design my site with CSS instead of HTML will I still be able to insert databases and PHP into this? Will it be more difficult?